Arnošt Lavante

“My mother recommended it to my father but he insisted that in principle it was like being abroad as an expatriate. And he had a rather clear understanding what it meant to be an expatriate because of his activities in diplomacy. He knew what it entailed and thus he was against it and insisted that we return home.”

“I had no idea, of course, what the diplomatic activity of my father as such entailed. It happened somewhere in those offices where he worked as a consul with his team. That was his work and he cooperated with his colleagues and they represented the interests of Czechoslovakia. And then there were plenty of servants, for instance the landlord who took care of the water and the like.”

“I went by train to Munich. Siemens has a number of special sections and departments there and I visited one of them, told them who I was and asked if they didn’t have a job for me. And for whatever reason it was, they had a place for me and they even reimbursed my train ticket and added a corporate apartment so that we had a place to stay in the beginnings.”

“It was a break-neck schedule. Especially if you consider the conditions we worked in and the very limited possibilities we had. It was possible only because of the incredibly dedicated work of all those involved. The time constraints, physical limitations, financial limitations were simply gigantic. But for us it really was a question of personal ambition. So that’s how it was and without the personal engagement of all those involved, it wouldn’t have been possible.”